Breast cancer survey is a contender

Photo courtesy/Allyson WeseleyIntel Science Talent Search finalist Kevin Xu worked with the Staten Island chapter of the American Cancer Society for his project. His conversation with a breast cancer patient stuck with Kevin Xu.

During the summer of 2007, Xu was working at Elmhurst Hospital Center in Queens, when a woman told him she wished she could better understand her doctor and that the physician would spend more time with her.

Several months later, Xu read an article stating that 25 percent of breast cancer patients were not receiving the standard of care, such as radiation or chemotherapy, following a lumpectomy.

He also learned that female doctors were more likely to offer such standard of care compared to their male peers, most likely due to their communication style.

“I read the article and remembered the encounter with the patient,” Xu said, noting, “I wanted to see if psychosocial factors played a role in care.”

Recently, the Roslyn Heights, N.Y., resident was named one of 40 finalists in the prestigious Intel Science Talent Search for his study “Relationships Between Oncologist Gender, Participatory Decision Making, Anxiety, and Breast Cancer Care.”

Xu, a senior at Roslyn High School, wanted to examine an urban demographic, so he called about two dozen facilities throughout New York City for help in reaching out to breast cancer patients.

His search put him in touch with Alberta Brescia and Michelle Fusaro of the Staten Island chapter of the American Cancer Society (ACS) and Carol Becker of the Brooklyn chapter.

Ms. Brescia, regional vice president of the borough ACS, thought Xu’s study was viable since the chapter has access to breast cancer patients through it’s various support groups. The survey was conducted without violating patient confidentiality, Ms. Brescia noted, and participants were kept anonymous.

Respondents were asked about their care, participation in treatment decisions and anxiety levels.

Xu sent his survey to more than 200 people in Staten Island and Brooklyn and got back 105. The first section consisted of patient demographics, such as age and location, as well as information on their oncologist, including gender. He also asked if they had a lumpectomy and what treatment they received afterward.

The second section consisted of a six-point scale that ranked respondents’ level of agreement with a statement. For example, he asked patients if they felt anxious about treatment to see if that kept them from seeking follow-up care.

What Xu found surprised him. Only about 44 percent of those surveyed received the standard of care, although Staten Island rates were higher than Brooklyn.

Patients who had a higher level of communication with their doctors also had lower levels of anxiety, he said. Those who received follow-up treatment were less likely to be anxious. His study also confirmed that patients treated by female oncologists were more likely to receive standard of care.

Xu hypothesizes a reason female doctors are more likely to provide the follow-up treatment is because they also communicate better with others in the field, including radiologists, surgeons and nurses, who are all involved in the patient’s care. Female patients may also be more likely to trust female doctors.

“This opens the doors to do more research, which will be exciting to do in the future,” Xu said.

He is currently working on his second research project, which stems from the first. One aspect that surprised him was that many patients who were not getting the standard of care still rated their communication with doctors as high. This made him think that education could also be a factor in their follow-up treatment.

On Thursday, Xu will be in Washington, D.C., to compete for $630,000 in awards. The top winner receives $100,000 from the Intel Foundation.

“He’s so detailed and driven and focused,” said Ms. Brescia. “I’m not surprised he’s a finalist.”